Natasha Wallace
“Psycho-what?” You may ask. This word may completely throw you, but we bet that there’s a big chance that you’ve used psychometric testing before.
In today’s world, most companies will ask you to do a “personality” test when applying for a job. These multiple-choice formatted tests are designed to check whether a candidate’s personality traits and emotional stability are a good fit for the specific role.
This is also known as psychometrics or psychometric testing. But what exactly is this, and why do companies find it useful?
In this blog, we cover what psychometrics is, the various types of tests used, and how psychometrics could help you become a better leader.
What Is Psychometrics, and How Does Psychometric Testing Work?
To put it simply, psychometrics is a field of study that focuses on how to carry out psychological measurement. This includes measuring an individual's knowledge, abilities, skills, educational achievement and personality traits. This is a highly beneficial tool to use, as it helps companies learn more about the individual’s mental abilities and behaviours, which they may be unable to pick up during conversations or interviews.
Psychometric assessments are undertaken for other areas as well as recruitment:
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Psychometric tests are designed in a multiple-choice format, which is to be taken online or in person. It is recommended to use certified psychometric practitioners to conduct and analyse the results of the tests, as free online psychometric tests are not designed with the same proven method as official psychometric assessments. This means that the quality of the results and analysis will not be as reliable.
Which Types of Psychometric Tests Are There?
Psychometric tests can fall into three categories:
Aptitude Tests
Aptitude tests are used to determine an individual's skill or propensity to succeed in a given activity. In the work world, the HR department often uses this to learn about a potential candidate's strengths and weaknesses.
There are various types of aptitude tests, such as:
- Spatial reasoning tests
- Verbal ability tests
- Logical and critical reasoning tests
- Visual reasoning tests
- Problem-solving abilities tests
- Decision-making and judgment tests.
Skills Tests
A skills assessment test determines whether individuals have the necessary skills to perform various essential aspects of a job role.
There are various types of skills tests, such as:
- Hard skills assessment
- Work sample tests
- Cognitive ability tests
- The interview
- A combination approach.
Personality Tests
A personality test is used to determine how people may respond in different situations within a workplace environment.
The most commonly used types of personality tests are:
- Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
- Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)
- Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire
Psychometric Tests for Leadership Assessment
So how can a psychometric test help you progress within a leadership role or help you choose the right candidate? Here are some key points to consider:
- Psychometric tests can help you to understand your leadership style or an employee’s.
- They help you or an employee to raise self-awareness and learn how to change behaviour when necessary.
- Organisational skills are the most important for any leadership role. How strong are yours or an employee's? A psychometric test will help you determine this.
- Assertiveness — Do you need to improve on your assertiveness? Does an employee have strong assertiveness skills?
- Resourcefulness — How resourceful are you within leadership? Is this a skill that your potential employee has?
So whether you’re looking to advance your career within leadership, or you want to make sure you employ the right person for a leadership role, a psychometric test will help you make those all-important decisions.
